Leeds Rhinos boss Rohan Smith ready for Super League marathon as he stresses need to start again

The opening night showdown at the Halliwell Jones Stadium is the first of 27 matches during the regular season, which will conclude in late September.

While nobody at Headingley wants to revisit the dark days of early 2022, Rhinos boss Rohan Smith is playing the long game.

“Clearly we want to start well," said Smith.

"Round one is important. It's a good opportunity to get out there and battle, and it helps you to prepare for round two.

"Two competition points are huge to get started, but also it's one of many in a marathon.

"It's very important to us – but it's not a Grand Final either."

The Rhinos recovered from the worst start to a season in the club’s history to reach Old Trafford last year.

Leeds won 11 of their 16 matches under Smith to secure a play-off spot on the final day of the regular campaign before claiming famous away victories over Catalans Dragons and Wigan Warriors.

The run to the Grand Final has raised expectation levels heading into Smith's first full season in charge.

The Australian is optimistic about the club's 2023 prospects but was quick to stress that it is a clean slate with a different squad.

“We expect good things and we believe in our roster as a staff and a playing group," said Smith, who included six fresh faces in his squad for the clash with Warrington.

“We feel like we can challenge and compete against the best teams if we play our best footy.

“We want to be playing in the big games. Learnings will be taken from last year by different people.

“I think our best team this year would be a lot different from the one that played on Grand Final day, but the players who are still here will still be hurting and using that to fuel their season ahead.

“We will take some confidence out of what we did last year, but for me it is about starting again.”

Like Leeds, Warrington are without several big names for the opener, including new signing Josh McGuire who has been hit with a seven-game ban.

The Wolves have a fresh look with Paul Vaughan, Sam Kasiano and Josh Drinkwater in their ranks – but Smith has a good idea of what is coming his side's way.

"In pre-season, most teams don't show all their cards, either by selections or tactics," said Smith, whose team lost three of their four trial games.

"Teams don't generally game plan too much – they just go out there and play standard footy.

"I'm sure there will be some things there that we didn't see in their match against Leigh, but we do know the tendencies of most of the key players that have been in Super League or the NRL for a long time.

"We're aware of the threats they pose – there are plenty of them – and I expect them to be raring to get their season started, just like we are."

The first game of a Super League season is new territory for Smith.

As ever, the 41-year-old is tempering his excitement and staying grounded.

"As a coach, it's important to just be the same each day," said Smith.

"It's about managing your emotions and pointing them in the right direction.

"I'm excited about the season when I stop and reflect – but unless I stop and reflect, I'm not emotional at all."

Whereas Leeds have momentum behind them after a strong finish to 2022, Warrington are starting again under Daryl Powell.

The Wolves have backed Powell in the aftermath of a disastrous 11th-place finish in his first season at the helm.

After talking about improving the culture, Powell knows his team must walk the walk.

“It’s a group with a strong sense of purpose but we’ve got to turn that into a reality,” he said.

“You always learn from the past and there’s a lot to be learnt from the recent past.

“Everybody who was here last year have all taken lessons from it and I think that’s going to be a help to us.

“Recruitment-wise, I think we’ve done a really good job. As players, as combinations and as people, I can see it starting to come together really well.

“We’re going to get challenged and we’re going to have to work hard to come out of them, but I see a really good team here.

“There’s good quality players in every position and world-class players in a lot of them. What we need now is for the boys to play consistently well and for the team to knit together and handle pressure.

“We’ve got a tough start against Leeds – a team who were in the Grand Final last year and throw a lot of tricky bits at you – but I really do think we’re ready for what’s in front of us.”